LeBron James is one of the greatest players of all time. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that James will go down as one of the best to ever play the sport of basketball. But despite that, James has a lot of detractors around him.
Bron has been in the NBA for almost 20 years but is considered one of the most hated players in the league.
James’ negative fan reception is mostly tied to his decision in the free agency period of 2010. In 2010, James left his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers to join his friends Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to form a big three in Miami.
LBJ had come close to winning a championship in Cleveland, but couldn’t defeat the San Antonio Spurs without any help. So he finally found some teammates that could help him win the championship.
His move immediately paid dividends. The Heat stormed through the Eastern Conference to reach the NBA Finals. The stage was set for James to establish himself as an all-time great and win his first championship.
But James would have to wait for that moment. Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks ended up getting the better of The King and the Heat. James in particular was very poor, as he completely failed to step up against the Mavs.
Many fans were thrilled to see James fail on the big stage. His move to Miami was seen as taking an easy way out. So they were happy to see him lose in the Finals. But LeBron wasn’t too bothered by his detractors.
James responded in the press conference after Game 6 of the 2011 NBA Finals to the haters. He said he is not concerned by what they said or thought about him.
He knows that they have to go back to their lives after the NBA Finals anyway, so he does not take what they say seriously.
“Absolutely not. Because at the end of the day, all the people that were rooting on me to fail, they have to wake up tomorrow and have the same life that they had before they woke up today. They got the same personal problems they had today.”
The 2011 NBA Finals remain the biggest failure on James’ resumé. Unlike most NBA Finals, James has no excuse for the way he performed in the series. But he learnt his lesson and improved, coming back to win the NBA championship next season.
